The short answer
Sometimes, but only for a group on the right route. A private jet is priced for the whole aircraft and a first class ticket for one seat, so the comparison is the jet price divided by the number of passengers against the seat fare you have been quoted. A solo traveller will rarely find the jet cheaper. A full cabin on a short route is where the gap closes.
Key facts
- A charter is priced per aircraft; a first class ticket is priced per seat.
- The test is the total jet price divided by the number of passengers, set against the fare you have found.
- A full cabin brings the per-person cost down; an empty seat does not reduce the price.
- Charter-A’s comparison guide gives door-to-door times of 2.0 to 3.5 hours by private jet and 4.5 to 7.0 hours by commercial flight on its example route.
- Time, airports and flexibility are part of the comparison, not only the fare.
Why is the question harder than it looks?
A first class ticket and a private jet charter are sold in different ways. The ticket is for one seat, and the price is the same whoever sits in the next one. The charter is for the whole aircraft, and the price is the same whether it carries one passenger or all the seats it has. So there is no single answer. The cost of the jet divided by the number of people on board is the figure to set against the fare, and it changes with every extra passenger.
Charter-A’s guide to comparing private and commercial travel makes the same point in general terms: private charter is described as more cost-effective for groups, while solo travellers often find scheduled tickets cheaper. This article shows how to run the numbers yourself, because the fare for your route and date is something only you can look up.
How do I compare the two per person?
- Get a charter quote for your route and date. It is one inclusive figure for the aircraft.
- Find the first class fare for the same route and the same date, one way or return to match, for one person.
- Divide the charter price by the number of people travelling.
- Compare that per-person figure with the fare, and add anything that changes the picture: a second airport, a night in a hotel, a car at each end, excess baggage.
The calculation is simple. What makes it honest is using the same date for both. A first class fare found for a quiet Tuesday says nothing about a Friday in school holidays, and the price of a jet moves with the date just as the seat does.
What does the sum look like on a worked example?
The example below uses a Charter-A guide figure for the jet side only: a Citation CJ2 flying about 210 miles from Farnborough to Paris, estimated at 0.8 hours, with a guide total of £5,000 including landing and handling. The fleet guide for the Citation CJ2 shows 6 to 7 passengers. We have not used a first class fare, because quoting one here would be inventing it. Instead the table shows the fare that each group size would have to beat.
| Passengers sharing the aircraft | Jet cost per person (guide total divided by passengers) | First class fare you would need to beat |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | £5,000 | Any fare under £5,000 |
| 2 | £2,500 | Any fare under £2,500 |
| 4 | £1,250 | Any fare under £1,250 |
| 6 | £833 | Any fare under £833 |
Illustration only. The £5,000 is Charter-A’s guide total for one Farnborough to Paris flight in a Citation CJ2; the division is our own arithmetic, rounded to the nearest pound. Assumptions: one way, every passenger counted, no ground costs added to either side. Your quote and your fare will differ.
On a longer sector the same guide shows the total rising to £8,750 for Milan, which would be £2,188 a head for four passengers and £1,458 for six. Read the table the other way round: if the first class fare you have found is above the figure in the right-hand column, the jet is cheaper per person on those assumptions. If it is below, the seat is cheaper and you are paying for the other things a private flight gives you.
When is a private jet cost-competitive?
- A full cabin. The more of the seats are filled, the lower the cost per person. A light jet seats 5 to 9, a midsize jet 6 to 9 and a heavy jet 11 to 14.
- A group flying together anyway. A family, a team or a party going to the same place at the same time is the case the pricing suits.
- A short route with awkward airline timings. The jet price depends on flying time, so short sectors keep the aircraft price down while airline connections stay slow.
- An empty leg that matches the route. These are often 25 to 75 per cent below a standard charter, with the route and timing fixed.
- A trip that replaces several tickets and a hotel night. A same-day return can save an overnight stay for everyone.
When is first class the better choice?
For one traveller, or two, on a long scheduled route where an airline already flies exactly where you want to go at the time you want. The price of an aircraft is spread over the people on it, and with one passenger there is nobody to spread it over. The same goes for a route with a scheduled service every hour, where the saving on time is small. If you are alone and your priority is cost, the airline is the answer, and a straight account is worth more to you than a sale.
How much time does a private jet save?
Charter-A’s comparison guide gives typical door-to-door times on its example route of 2.0 to 3.5 hours by private jet and 4.5 to 7.0 hours by commercial flight, attributing the difference to shorter check-in and direct routing. Your own route will differ, so take those as an indication rather than a promise.
Where the saving comes from is not the speed of the aircraft. Private jets cruise at similar speeds to airliners over a long flight. It comes from the stages around the flight. On a private flight you arrive about 30 minutes before departure, as set out in how early to arrive and what security applies, and the aircraft goes when your party is ready. No connection has to be caught, so you are not at the mercy of a delayed first leg.
Does the airport make a difference?
Yes. A private jet can use business airports that scheduled airlines do not serve, which often puts you closer to where you are actually going. Around London the choice is wide; see which airports private jets can use and, for example, Farnborough, Biggin Hill and Northolt. The nearest airport to the final destination can save a long road journey, which is a cost in money and time that a seat fare does not show.
What does a return journey do to the comparison?
It changes both sides, so keep them matched. A first class return is two fares for each person. A charter return is one price for an aircraft that flies the route twice, so the flying hours double, as set out in the price per hour. The aircraft either waits for you or flies away and comes back, and which of those is cheaper depends on how long you stay. For a same-day return in a light jet, waiting is usually the simpler choice.
A same-day return is where a private flight can look strongest, because it can remove the hotel night that a scheduled timetable forces on a group. That is a cost to add to the airline side of the sum, and the table above does not include it. If you would have stayed anyway, leave it out.
What costs does a seat fare leave out?
The fare is the headline, and the trip is rarely only the fare. Count what you would actually spend: the transfer to a large airport and the time spent getting there, parking or a car, a hotel night if the timings force one, and baggage that is charged separately. Charter-A’s comparison guide notes that commercial fares are seat-based, with baggage and extras often charged separately.
On the charter side, the opposite applies. A Charter-A quote is one inclusive figure for the aircraft and crew, fuel, and standard landing and handling fees. What can be extra is named in writing before you sign, such as de-icing if it is needed, special catering and cars, as set out in what is included in the price of a private jet charter. Put both lists on the page and compare like with like.
How does a short European route compare?
The shorter the route, the less time an airline journey spends in the air and the more it spends on everything else: reaching the airport, checking in, queueing and waiting for the connection. A private flight cuts out the stages around the flight and leaves the flying. Anything within about 900 nautical miles of London, such as Paris, Geneva, Nice or Ibiza, is non-stop for every class of jet, and the estimated flying time to Paris in Charter-A’s guide example is 0.8 hours.
On sectors like these, a smaller aircraft keeps the price down. Where the fare comparison is close, a turboprop or a very light jet can tip it, because a turboprop arrives only a little after a jet on a short flight, for less money.
What about a business team?
A team of four to six travelling together on a short route is the case the pricing suits most, because one aircraft price is shared between them and everyone arrives together. The cabin is also somewhere to work. A light jet such as the Citation CJ2 has a six-seat club cabin, and the fleet guide shows 6 to 7 passengers. Whether the sum works for your team is the same sum: the quote divided by the number of travellers, set against the fares you have found for the same date, plus what the time is worth to you.
What else should I weigh up besides the fare?
- Flexibility. You choose the departure time, within the aircraft’s availability, and a change of timing can usually be accommodated.
- Luggage. Skis, golf clubs and extra bags are handled in the aircraft’s hold with no charge per bag; see how much luggage you can take.
- Privacy. A private cabin matters for a confidential conversation or for travelling with a dog; see taking a dog on a private jet.
- Environmental impact. Charter-A’s comparison guide notes that a private jet has a higher carbon footprint per passenger than a seat on an airline. That is a fair point against private travel, and some people will weigh it above the time saved.
How should I decide, step by step?
- Count the people who are really travelling, and the luggage they will bring.
- Ask for a charter quote, and for a second option in a neighbouring class if your party is on the edge of one.
- Find the first class fare for each traveller, on the same date and for the same one-way or return trip.
- Divide the charter price by the number of travellers and compare the two per-person figures.
- Add the extras on each side: ground transport, a hotel night, baggage charges, and the time you would spend at the airport.
- Decide how much the time and flexibility are worth to you. If the figures are close, they are often the deciding factor; if the airline is far cheaper, the answer is the airline.
This is a short job, and you do not need to commit to anything to do it: a Charter-A quote is free and without obligation, so the charter side of the sum costs you nothing to find out. If your route is on a scheduled timetable that suits you and you are travelling alone, the sum will probably favour the seat, and that is a perfectly good result.
What are the common mistakes in this comparison?
- Comparing a quiet-day fare with a peak-day charter price, or the other way round.
- Forgetting that the jet price is the same for every passenger, up to the seats available, and dividing by the wrong number of people.
- Leaving ground transport and a hotel night out of the airline side while including everything on the charter side.
- Comparing a one-way charter with a return fare, or a return charter with a single fare.
- Treating an empty leg as if it could be moved to any date: its route and timing are fixed by the original booking.
More questions
Is a private jet cheaper than first class for a family?
It can be. A family of four to six on a short route divides one aircraft price between them, while a first class ticket is bought per person. Get a quote, divide it by the number of travellers, and compare it with the fares you have found for the same date.
Is it cheaper to fly private with more people?
Per person, yes, because the charter price is for the whole aircraft. The price of a flight in a light jet does not change much whether four or six people are on board, so each extra passenger lowers the cost per head, up to the seats the aircraft has.
How much time does a private jet save over first class?
Charter-A’s comparison guide gives typical door-to-door times of 2.0 to 3.5 hours by private jet and 4.5 to 7.0 hours commercially on its example route. The saving comes from shorter check-in, direct routing and no connections, not from a faster aircraft.
Are there flights where first class is the sensible choice?
Yes. For a solo traveller, or for a long route with a convenient scheduled service, a seat is usually cheaper. A private jet makes more sense for groups and for journeys that are awkward by airline.
What is the lowest-cost kind of private flight?
An empty leg that happens to match your route, which is often 25 to 75 per cent below a standard charter. Otherwise the smallest aircraft that suits your party, on a return trip with a short stay, gives a lower price.
Related articles
How much does it cost to charter a private jet?
Chartering a private jet typically costs from around £2,000 to £3,000 per flying hour for a small jet, rising to £6,000 to £8,000 per hour and more for a large or long-range jet.
How much does a private jet cost per person?
A private jet charter has no price per person, because you charter the whole aircraft.
On this site
More from Charter-A.com
- Comparing private and commercial air travel: key insights
- How to estimate private jet hire cost for your trip
The £5,000 and £8,750 totals and the Citation CJ2 details are from Charter-A’s hourly jet cost guide; door-to-door times and the carbon footprint point are from Charter-A’s comparison guide; seat counts are from the fleet guides; per-person figures are arithmetic and no airline fares are quoted. Charter-A Ltd acts as agent for the passenger; details are confirmed for each flight at booking.